What Are Quantifiers?
Quantifiers are adjectives or adjectival phrases that indicate the quantity of the nouns they precede. They are also a class of determiners.
Examples:
- Every person (noun) is talented in one way or another.
- I’m a bit worried (noun) about my driving test next week.
- There’s too much salt (noun) in the soup.
- How many people (noun) will be at the party tonight?
- I’m a little tired (noun). Can we talk later ?
- Do you have some time (noun) after class today?
- All students (noun) are required to be present at the venue by 10 a.m.
- I’ve read both the books (noun) by him, and I love them.
- I’ve been to many countries (noun) around the world.
There are two cats (noun) and five dogs (noun) available for adoption at the shelter
Quantifiers Used with Countable Nouns
Quantifiers used with countable nouns pertain to the number of something (many, a number of, majority) and answer the question “how many?”
Following is a list of quantifiers that can be used with countable nouns along with sentence examples:
| Quantifier | Sentence Example |
| a few | Can I get a few cookies with the coffee? |
| a number of | A number of houses were demolished since they were too old and dilapidated. |
| a great number of | Martin Luther King Jr., inspired a great number of Americans. |
| several | Several new countries emerged after World War I. |
| a large number of | His new YouTube channel has a large number of subscribers. |
| many | There are many things available for half the price at the flea market. |
| a majority of | A majority of the workers are on strike today. |
Quantifiers Used with Uncountable Nouns
Quantifiers used with uncountable nouns pertain to the amount/quantity of something (a large quantity, a great deal, etc.) and answer the question “how much?”
Following is a list of quantifiers that can be used with uncountable nouns along with sentence examples:
| Quantifier | Sentence Example |
| a large amount of | I spent a large amount of money on my car. |
| much | My mother doesn’t drink much water. |
| a great deal of | His grandad has earned a great deal of respect and is admired by all. |
| a bit of | We could all use a bit of motivation at this point. |
| a little | Adding a little water while whisking the eggs will help make omelets fluffy. |
| a large quantity of | America imports a large quantity of food from other countries. |
Quantifiers Used with Countable and Uncountable Nouns
There are some quantifiers that can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Following is a list of such quantifiers along with sentence examples:
| Quantifier | Sentence Example |
| least | Although the task seems difficult, you have to at least try. |
| enough | There isn’t enough food for everyone. |
| all | I gave George all the money I had. |
| less | You better talk less and work more. |
| some | I’ll go home and get some sleep. |
| none | None of her family cares about her. |
| no | He had no intention of calling her back. |
| plenty of | I’ve plenty of time to work on my application. |
| more | The trainer asked Jim to do more squats. |
| most | Elaine’s dad is the most influential man in the town. |
| any | Is the pizza any good? |
| a lot of | That’s a lot of orange juice you’ve got there. |
| lots of | There are lots of snacks in the pantry. |
When it comes to quantifier usage, being able to distinguish whether a noun is countable or uncountable is an important step. Once the type of noun is ascertained, deciding which quantifier should precede it becomes easier.
